The Big House by Carolyn Coman

When their parents are sent up the river” for embezzlement, Ray and Ivy are left to live in the lap of luxury with Marietta Noland and her ancient husband, Lionel. But life at the big house is not all it's cracked up to be. First there is the shrouded portrait, then there is the spider in the decaying wedding cake. And what about the vicious instrument Marietta uses to decapitate her egg? When "the rain in Spain" begins to fall (in other words, Ray wets his bed), things go from bad to worse and Ivy knows it is time to take matters into her own hands. What follows is a hilarious lark as Ray and Ivy case the joint, get the skinny, and show Marietta she has met her match.

Unrated Critic Reviews for The Big House

Kirkus Reviews

When Ivy and her younger brother Ray are sent to live with the very same rich septuagenarian couple who sent their parents “up the river,” Ivy (a quick-study of her dad’s shady dealings and of various courtroom dramas) decrees that they will spend their days scouring the sumptuous mansion for evi...